College Football Countdown: No. 96 Oregon State

10:27 a.m. EST, May 9, 2012|By Matt Murschel, Orlando Sentinel

The Orlando Sentinel has ranked all 120 Football Bowl Subdivision teams in the country. The Sentinel staff will take a closer look at a new team daily, counting backward from No. 120 to our projected No. 1 team. We will not be including the four teams the NCAA lists as still reclassifying to the Football Bowl Subdivision level.

Look back: Oregon State was loaded last season – loaded with youth and inexperience. With 23 new starters and several injuries to key players spelled disaster for the Beavers. The team opened with four straight losses including a disappointing 29-28 overtime loss to Sacramento State. Oregon State’s first win was against Arizona in Week Five but that was followed by the team’s fifth loss to BYU. A win over Washington State on Oct. 22 was followed by three straight losses before the team finally secured its third win, a 38-21 victory over Washington. The season ended with a disappointing 49-21 loss to rival Oregon.

Strengths: A bright spot from last season was the play of freshman quarterback Sean Mannion. Mannion threw for 3,328 yards, a school record for a freshman, and helped guide the offense to a top 20 ranking in passing. Granted, he did throw 18 interceptions compared to 16 touchdowns but those numbers should go down with experience. … Much like Mannion, Malcolm Agnew stepped into the starting role as a freshman and excelled when he was on the field. Limited by injuries, Agnew rushed for 423 yards on 89 carries for an impressive 4.8 yards per carry. His continued development will be crucial if Oregon State hopes to build a better rushing attack. …Markus Wheaton stepped up as the leading receiver last year, catching 73 balls for 986 yards and a touchdown. With blazing speed, Wheaton is developing into a world class threat which should help stretch the field for Mannion.

Weaknesses: Much like with the offense, youth was served in the defense and it showed on the field as the Beavers finished 84th in the nation in total defense. A pair of sophomores will be called up to step up their games in 2012. Defensive ends Scott Crichton and Dylan Wynn made big plays in 2011. Wynn set a school record with five fumble recoveries and was ninth on the team in total tackles (44). Crichton led the team in sacks (6.0) and tackles for loss (14.5). Senior safety Anthony Watkins will anchor the secondary. He led the team in tackles (85).

Outlook: Oregon State will continue to go through some growing pains in 2012. While the team has more experience, it still needs to develop that level of talent. Part of that development will need to come in the way of a running game. The Beavers were 118th in rushing last season and need to see vast improvement in that area if they want success to follow. The schedule features seven home games including key games against Wisconsin, Utah, Arizona State, Cal and rival Oregon.